Coupling-yoke.



E. H. SCHMIDT.

COUPLING YOKE.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 6. 19th Patenfed Sept. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l E. H..SCHMIDT.

COUPLING YOKE.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 6.1914.

1,279,015. Patented Sept. 17,1918,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ETNKTED STATES PATENT QEFETQE ERNEST I-I. soHMrD'r, or CLEVELAND, onro,ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS company, or CLEVELAND, OHIO,A conronnr'ron or OHIO.

COUPLING-YOKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented S 131 17, 1918,

' Application filed June 6', 1914. Serial No. 843,412;

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST H. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Coupling-Yokes, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure .1 is a plan of my improved yoke, partly in section,applied to the underfram ing of a car; Fig. '2 is a side elevation thereof, partlyin section; Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof; Fig. 4 isa.detail of the filler block; Fig.7 5 is a'front elevation of a modi'fication of my invention, and F 6 is a 'detail of the filler block usedwith such a modified structure; Fig. 7 is a front elevation. of afurther modification, and Fig. 8 is a detailof the filler block usedtherewith.

My invention relates'to improvements in coupler yokes designed toreceive in the forward end thereof the buttend of a car cou plcr, andprovides a. strong, simple and convenient form of yoke to which thecoupler can be readily connected or disconnected without necessitatingremoval of the yoke or draft rigging from the car, or the draft riggingand yoke may be taken down without removing the coupler. My inventionalso consists in the'construction and cooperation" of the parts which Ishall hereinafter describe and claim. Referring to'the drawings, thenumeral 2 represents the shank of an automatic coupler of any approvedtype,'which terminates in a butt or liner block? The yoke, which ispreferably of cast steel, comprises two parts, the main body portion {-iconsisting of the usual upper and lower arms 5 and 6 connected at theirrear ends by a vertical portion 7 and a filler block 8 to be hereinafterdescribed. Upon the exterior faces of the yoke 4 is a strengthening rib9, which is reinforced at the rear end of the yoke by the flanges 10.Theforward end of thearm 5 terminates at the rear of the coupler linerblock 8, while the forward end of the upper arm 6 extends over andengages by its abutment 11 the forward face 12 of the coupler linerblock 3. Formed integrally with the forward end of the arm 6 arevertically extending side walls 13, the lower rear faces of which aremade integral with the for- The forward end of the arm 6 and the Sidewalls 13 form a housing which incloses the top and sides of the linerblock 3'. The side'walls'13 preferably flare forwardly and outwardly, topermit a limited lateral anglingof the coupler relative to the yoke, andtherebyrelieve the side walls and the yoke of side strains.

. The side walls 13 are adapted to receive between their lowerextremities the filler block 8, and have recesses 1 in which thelaterally projecting lugs 15 on the fillerblock V are adapted to enterand which act as a support to the filler block The filler block 8 hasalso a downwardly extending web'16, re-

inforcing hookshaped flanges 17, which take forward end of the lowerarm5, anda lip 21, V

which underlies the lower arm 5 to prevent the rear end of the fillerfrom tilting up-,

wardly when a heavy pulling stress is ap plied to the abutment 19 bythecoupler liner block. j I r The pulling stresses transmitted from thecoupler liner block to the filler block are taken up by the key member22, and by it transmitted to the side walls 13 of the yoke. The keymember 22 is seated in registering apertures 23 and 24 in the side walls13 and filler block 8 respectively. 7

The connection between the yoke and the coupler is made as follows:

After the yoke is placed in position between the draft sills 25 of thecar the liner block 3 of the coupler is inserted fromrbelow between theside walls 13, and is then raised so that its front'upper edge 12engages the abutment 11 of the upper yoke arm 6. The filler block 8 isthen inserted from the forward side with its laterallyprojecting lugs 15seated in recesses let in the side walls 18, and with its upper face 26engaging the bottom of the coupler liner block 3 and with its abutment19 engaging the forward face 12. WVhen the filler block has been slidlongitudinally into such a position,with its lip 21 underlying theforward The filler block has end of the lower yoke arm 5, the key 22 isinserted transversely through the registering apertures 23 and 2% of theside walls 13 and filler block 8 respective y. The key may be held inposition by any suitable means, such as the cotter pins 27. yoke areopen to the rear, and the coupler is prevented from moving fartherrearwardly by the usual front follower 28 of the draft rigging, which isinclosed within the yoke.

It will be seen that when the parts are assembled as described, the yokehas a pulling engagement with the liner block of the coupler at the topthrough the abutment 11 of the upper arm 6, and at the bottom throughthe abutment 19 of the filler block 8, which in turn is held inpositionby the key 22 engaging the side walls 13, so that no securing means forthe coupler liner block, other than the key 22, is required.

My invention is of great advantage since it enables the coupler to besecured to or disengaged from the yoke, either by a horizontal orvertical movement, and without the removal of the yoke and draft riggingfrom the car, for the reason that the positions of the filler block 8and key 22 may be so low with relation to the plane of the draft sills25 of the car. that the key can be inserted without interference fromthe draft sills, as best shown in Fig. 3 At most, a slight recessing ofthe undersides of the draft sills 25 will provide easy entrance orremoval of the key 22, thereby enabling the ready disen gagement orengagement of the coupler and the yoke without taking down the latterfrom itsposition on the car.

It will also be seen that the engagement of the filler block 8 with theyoke'is such that the side walls 13 are prevented fromv spreading orcollapsing; thatthe filler 8 is horizontally and longitudinally slidableinto engagement with the side walls 13 and acts as a support for thecoupler liner block 3; that the rear end of the filler block 8 preventedfrom tipping upwardlyby the lip 21 under pulling stresses; that thefiller block transmits pulling stresses from the couplerto the key 22and thence to the side walls 13, and that the key is removable laterallybeneath the draft sills without necessitating cutting them away for thispurpose.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for The side walls of the In Figs.5 and 6 I have shown a modified form of my device, in which the recesses14 cooperate with the projections '15 on the filler block 8 toform'not-only a support for the filler block but also to preventspreading or collapsing of the side walls 13 through the engagement ofthe lips 29 on the projections 15 with the depending lugs 30 of the sidewalls 13.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a further modification, which constitutesarreversal of the construction I have illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, theprojections 15 on the filler block 8 having downwardlyextending lugs 81,which lugs engage inner faces32 ofthe recesses J1 and thereby not onlysupport the filler block in its position inthe yoke but prevent the sidewalls 13 from spreading or collapsing;

It is o vious that various modifications may be made in theconstructionswhich I have shown and described without departing from myinvention.

What I claim is: r

1. A coupler yoke comprising two forwardly extending arms, side wallsconnected to said arms, a filler block having an engagement with theside walls against vertical movement and having a rearwardlyeX- tcndinglip engaging one of the, yoke arms, to prevent tipping, the said yokeand filler block having bearings for the coupler liner block, and a keymember adapted to transmit pulling stresses from the filler block to theyoke. 7 V

2. A coupler yoke comprisingupperand lower arms, side walls extendingupwardly from said lower arm to saidLupperarm and forming a housing'inclosing the top, and sides of the coupler butt, a removable. meme bcrseatingbetween said side. walls beneath said coupler butt and in pullingengagement therewith, said removablegmember, having laterally-projectinglugs seating in lateral recesses in the housing and having also: aninterlocking engagement with; the walls of the housing to preventspreading or-collapsing of said walls.

ERNEST H. SCHMIDT; lVitnesses:

HARRY E. ORR, HUBERT LL SPENGE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents. Washington,D. G."

